Math Games

Place Value Focus:

These are place value games that are easily adapted for homework game playing.

Addition and Subtraction + Place Value focus:

Use a pack of playing cards to help you practice your skills!

Tens

You can play this game alone or with a partner.

Remove the face cards from the pack (Jack, Queen, King and Joker)

Ace =1

Shuffle cards.

Place cards out in 3 rows of 4, the cards should face up so you can see them.

Keep the rest of the cards in a pile face down.

Remove any 2 cards that add up to 10.

Then replace those with 2 cards from the rest of the pack.

The 10s cards are removed and replaced with a single card.

The objective of the game is to see if you can use up all your cards!

_________

Ten, Twenty, Thirty

You can play this game alone or with a partner and work together

Remove the face cards from the pack (Jack, Queen, King and Joker).

Ace=1

Start placing the cards in front of you, one at a time, face up, all in one row.

Watch closely, because as soon as you have side by side cards which total Ten, remove those cards and replace them.

It may be 1,2,3 or even 4 cards that add up to ten! Keep finding totals that add up to ten and continue replacing the cards. Try to get rid of all of your cards.

Or, to make it more challenging, use more make the total you are looking for Twenty or even Thirty!

___________

Salute

This game needs 3 people.

2 player and 1 referee. The referee could use a calculator, but try not to!

Remove the face cards from the pack (Jack, Joker, Queen and King).

Shuffle the cards.

Divide the pack into 2 piles, one pile for each player.

Each player has a pile upside down in front of them.

Each player draws a card from their pile, without looking, and puts it on their forehead.

The referee announces the total.

One player calls out what their own number is.

Remember they can only see their opponent’s number.

Winner keeps both cards.

Game continues until one person wins all cards.

_______

Show me the number!

You can play this game with a partner.

You’ll need a piece of paper divided up like a place value chart (Hundreds/Tens/Ones), a pencil and a pack of cards. You could also use a mini-whiteboard and marker if you have them.

The goal is to make a bigger number than your partner using strategy and luck!

First, remove the 10s as well as the face cards (Jack, Queen, King and Joker).

Put the pack of cards between you and your partner.

One player picks a card and decides where to put it to make the biggest number—will you choose to put it in the hundreds place? Tens place or the ones place? Hint: putting larger digits in the hundreds place is a good strategy to make a big number!